What is the Arenberg Orchestra? Leuven’s largest student symphony orchestra, with approximately ninety musicians. Each semester, we organize a concert around a specific theme, such as: BANGelijk!, Eigen Kweek (Homegrown), Epic, Ontwapend (Disarmed), Belles Histoire (Beautiful History), Musica Magica, Space…The program is a mix of classical music, film scores, and everything in between! From Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony to John Williams’ Star Wars, from Leonard Bernstein’s Rhapsody in Blue to Hans Zimmer’s Time, from Modest Mussorgsky’s The Great Gate of Kiev to Disney classics like Frozen and Beauty and the Beast.In addition, the orchestra focuses on creating a complete atmosphere, with each concert series featuring a different theme. For example, in addition to the music, audiences have already enjoyed their own videos, soloists, poems, and wonderful collaborations with artists like the Leuven University Choir and improvisation group Preparee.So, each semester we offer a new and interesting program. Of course, that doesn’t mean music is the only thing in our lives: we are and will always be students! That’s why we organize many activities outside of rehearsals to further strengthen our sense of community.
First, a bit of history…
The Arenberg Orchestra originated from VTK, the Flemish Technical Circle (better known as the Burgies and the Archies). In the 1970s and 1980s, VTK organized an annual Castle Concert, where circle members played music for and with each other. It started small, with a single concert in “Het Geel Huis” (The Yellow House) next to Arenberg Castle (now the deanery and secretariat of the Faculty of Science), but by the early 1980s, the soloists and small ensembles were playing in larger, full halls.
By the mid-1980s, the motley musical band of VTK members had grown into a proper orchestra, led by Bert De Bièvre, a mechanical engineering student. The Castle Concerts were now held in Arenberg Castle, in the proclamation hall. These concerts were perhaps the first time one could speak of an Arenberg Orchestra.
Now, many years later, the Arenberg Orchestra is no longer a VTK orchestra, but a Leuven orchestra open to students of all disciplines and nationalities. The last Castle Concert was in 2006, and we’ve taken a different path. But that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten our roots!
Source: Geniaal, magazine of the Faculty of Engineering and Engineering Alumni KU Leuven, no. 30, July 2015, the article written by Joris De Schutter.
Would you like to make music together every semester? Meet new people who are also passionate about music? Join us on weekends, participate in activities, and put on a fantastic concert every semester? Then be sure to come to one of our introductory rehearsals. Practical information about the introductory rehearsals can be found on the homepage of this website starting in September, or you can always contact us by email.
During the introductory rehearsals, you can try it out and join in. At the end, we always have a big introductory game and then we chat afterwards at a café.
Everyone is welcome, so we don’t hold auditions! However, we do need to maintain a good balance in the orchestra. If there are too many applicants for a particular instrument, a lottery will be held.
We expect you to practice in addition to rehearsals. Each instrument group has a leader, who is ready at their music stand to provide technical and practical support!
We wouldn’t be a good student orchestra without a great atmosphere and special activities! These can be all sorts of things, some examples: parties, ice skating, movies, cantus, bowling, a picnic, a drop-off, etc.After every rehearsal, tired from playing, we also go for a drink together at Downtown Jack, just down the street, to round off the evening.Finally, we also take an annual concert trip abroad. In the past, we’ve traveled to Spain, Croatia, and even far-off China, where we’ve played for thousands of audiences!
Come check out our concerts each semester! Want to join us? Be sure to come to our introductory rehearsals at the beginning of each academic year.
Also check out our Facebook page and follow us on Facebook. You can listen to recordings of our concerts from previous years on YouTube.
Have a question? Send us a message via the contact page. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
See you soon,
The Arenberg Orchestra